In his remarks to the convention, Adeyemo focused on highlighting the achievements that the Biden administration accomplished toward Black and brown communities concerning pandemic recovery. Specifically, Adeyemo touted the extension of the Child Tax Credit, which benefited 62 million children and their families.

“We know that implementation matters,” Adeyemo said of how the administration’s economic recovery policies were administered. “And we’ve implemented in a manner that has tried to be as equitable as possible and get the money to the Black and brown families who need it.” He also pointed toward Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA), a $46 billion program to provide help to renters. Of the funds dispersed by the program, Adeyemo detailed that 40% went to Black renters, 20% went to Latino renters and 80% went to low-income households.

A senior Treasury official explained that the department not only made such funds accessible but also engaged in extensive efforts to publicize the availability of money like the Child Tax Credit and Emergency Rental Assistance. Treasury officials appeared on Black and Latinx radio stations to advertise the available resources, the source said, in addition to consulting with religious leaders and community groups to reach people who were unlikely to be reached by national media sources.

Wally-Adeyemo

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